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Electric Socks, anyone use them?

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
Have you tried neoprene shoe covers? Cuz they'll not only help with cold, but wet as well.

To answer your question, no, haven't tried heated anything. Just seems like one more thing to deal with?
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
I use neoprene socks. I think deal with electric socks is for people who stand around for long periods of time, i.e. hunters.

I used neoprene wintertimes, and sometimes I would even skip booties...
 

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
I have booties, and wool socks. I get really cold extremitites, and when I ride in the winter my hands and feet get REALLY cold. I wear ski gloves, or really thick gloves and liner gloves, and no matter what I do to my feet they are always cold.

Mad Dog, what does loosening the tops of your shoes do? I wear SIDI's so the top of the shoes is the little click strap, and if I loosen that, my shoes will fall off :)
 

zmtber

Turbo Monkey
Aug 13, 2005
2,435
0
Why?, why?, why in gods name would you spend more $$ for socks i just don't see the point, plus you need to spend money on batteries!...... so confused
 

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
zmtber said:
Why?, why?, why in gods name would you spend more $$ for socks i just don't see the point, plus you need to spend money on batteries!...... so confused

Well, the expensive smartwool socks just arent doing it.... thats why :)
 

Mad Dog

Chimp
Feb 23, 2005
60
0
Los Angeles, CA
Big Mike
I have always tightened my Sidis too tight-increased blood flow=warmer feet, same deal as wearing thin socks in snowboard boots. Your feet can breathe, the blood can flow
 

hooples3

Fuggetaboutit!
Mar 14, 2005
5,245
0
Brooklyn
try using ziplock bags over your normal riding socks... they have worked wonders in a pinch for me. I usually dont have any problems with my feet though. I have used the baggies on really cold days and they were great
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,016
Sleazattle
BigMike,

I have considered the electric socks too. I have some really nice thick wool socks and a larger than normal pair of riding shoes to fit them under and my feet still get cold. Have tried neoprene, fleece, gortex socks, neoprene shoe covers and my feet still get cold. Poor circulation sucks.
 

Pau11y

Turbo Monkey
Mad Dog said:
Big Mike
I have always tightened my Sidis too tight-increased blood flow=warmer feet, same deal as wearing thin socks in snowboard boots. Your feet can breathe, the blood can flow
Mad Dog must be a ski area local :D
I used to spend a lot of time in ski boots and the "warmest" pair of socks I've used was a pair of women’s hoses, yeah the thinnest nylon hoses. The reasoning is just as Mad Dog says, except it's not so much as "breath" but circulation (altho breathing, reads keeping things dry, is also really important). Notice all those bulging blood vessels on your feet...strap your shoes on too tight and those blood vessels are crushed and you get no blood in the feet. No blood = no heat. Thick socks gives you a false idea of how tight your shoes are actually on. In the case of ski boots, they pack out to the shape of your feet after a while. The insulation is built in so all you really need is just something to take the moisture away from your skin.
So, in your situation, maybe use a pair of full leather hiking boots (Sno Seal or mink oil them to make them repell water) and a pair of really wide platform pedals w/ some not-too-thick socks. This is the combo I used when I was commuting in Steamboat (this area of CO usually gets over 150" of snow over the course of the winter, and you REALLY don't want to be clipped in while riding in snow/ice). I don’t have any circulation issues so I was able to get away w/ a pair of spring ski gloves most days for a commute of about 3 miles each way. The only time when my hands/feet got cold was when it was sub zero.
Also, like the other thing Mad Dog says: when your hands/feet are cold, check to make sure you have a hat on. I have WAY too much hair on top of my head and can usually get away w/ not wearing a hat while skiing (but I've been frost-bit on the tips of my ears so I wear one anyhoo). The idea is most of your heat will escape out the top of your melon since there's so many blood vessels in your scalp. So something like a beanie or scull cap under your brain bucket...?
 

Mad Dog

Chimp
Feb 23, 2005
60
0
Los Angeles, CA
Thanks for the clarification-by breathing I meant allowing your feet to circulate blood and havea cushion of air to insulate. I wear my wifes "old lady" nylon socks in my snowboard boots instead of wool or thick cotton. My feet stay warmer and drier. The hat trick is from many years of dirtbagging in the Sierras and Mojave.
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
What about the little warm packets you can get snowboarding where you shake them and they heat up for a few hours? Those seem to work well, but they're a little pricey.
 

skinny mike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 24, 2005
6,415
0
zmtber said:
Why?, why?, why in gods name would you spend more $$ for socks i just don't see the point, plus you need to spend money on batteries!...... so confused
dude you live in santa barbara. id be surprised if you have ever actually been cold.
 

TM1

Monkey
Jul 19, 2002
145
0
Central NC
I do have a pair of electric socks.

I used them for winter Hang Glider flying. They did work, but not that well. They use a "C" size battery and have a strip of heat tape on the sole. The battery is too bulky and tends to droop the socks to the ankles. The heat tape is a pain, literally. Pod harnesses work alot better to keep feet warm flying.

For winter biking I use a a loose fitting pair of insulated hikers, on platform pedals and thick smartwool socks .
 

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
Bicyclist said:
What about the little warm packets you can get snowboarding where you shake them and they heat up for a few hours? Those seem to work well, but they're a little pricey.

They are really not that expensive, and they are great to throw in the bottom of your sleeping bag when camping and it gets a little chilly :thumb:

I thought about them, but there is no place to put them in my shoes......